US gives money to de-mine Afghanistan

The United States has announced it is donating eighty-three vehicles and more than two-and-a-half million dollars to help rid Afghanistan of its landmines.

The donation was made to United Nations officials in Pakistan, which oversees the project to remove mines in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is thought to have the highest number of landmines in the world -- possibly several million.

Washington has given more than twenty-five million dollars since 1993, and the US ambassador to Pakistan said Washington would continue its humanitarian assistance.

He also said that another American diplomatic team would visit Afghanistan next week along with international drugs control experts. It is the second such diplomatic visit since Washington lifted a two-year travel ban on the country.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service